Ape Island
Ape Island (サル島 Saru Shima,) located in the upper, northern half of the Calm Belt, is the home island of the race of hominids known simply as the bigfeet; creatures who resemble half man and half ape. Due to its location, very few venture far out to Ape Island, and as a result, only a handful of people even know of the bigfeet's existence. Those that do (like the higher-ups within the Marines, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, or the stronger pirate crews of the world) often do their best to avoid the island at all costs, due to its residents' reputation for violent attacks on outsiders (though through some investigation, this is merely a misinterpretation of the bigfeet; as some have been shown to be quite friendly and hospitable towards newcomers.) Nonetheless, wise sailors tend to mind their own business and leave the bigfeet alone, for fear that they might incur the creatures' wrath if provoked. So far, despite attempts to claim the island in the past, Ape Island remains outside the control of the World Government to this very day; being no more than a wild, jungle-infested paradise for its inhabitants. History Island's history. Explains any significant events. Geography Ape Island is of a moderate size, neither being too big or too small, but just right for a large enough population of bigfeet to survive there (alongside the various other flora and fauna of the island.) Being a jungle island, Ape Island is overrun by large masses of trees and plant-like undergrowth; with a tropical climate to sustain such a vibrant amount of plant-life. To the north is a large mountain range, which has its top completely blanketed by snow, due to the elevation that the various peaks have reached. Beyond that is a small archipelago that hovers just off the shore of the main island. Combined with the archipelago to the north, Ape Island interestingly enough appears to be in the shape of a primate's foot (primate in this case, referring to more of a human foot than anything else.) The main island looks like this, due to it having an elongated, yet oval-like shape to it, while the archipelago plays the role of the island's "toes." The archipelago to the north is merely 5 round, dotted island's of various shapes, with the largest of the 5 being in the same location as that of the big toe on a person's foot. The islands seem to decrease in size the further down they go alongside the main island's northern coast; until all that's left is the smallest island, acting as the main island's "pinky toe." While the large majority of the population live on the main island, there has been enough strong evidence to prove that some bigfeet do indeed live on the archipelago to the North, no matter how much more difficult it is to live there, due to the smaller resources they have. Architecture Explain the types of buildings or theme of the island. Culture While not very much is shown or fully understood to outsiders of Ape Island's culture, what little that can be said is that despite the orderly despotism that the Chieftains typically uphold, the bigfeet themselves tend to go by the belief that "might makes right." Coming from a land of giant beast-men, who can tend to get pretty savage whenever they so want, this shared viewpoint has lead the dominant race of the island, the bigfeet, through some of their greatest achievements, and also through their greatest failures. One such astonishing moment of greatness, was when the folk-hero, Sun Wukong, was able to drive back the invading fishman pirate crew, The High-Tide Pirates. Due to this system of promoting individuals to rule over the entire island, only if they proved to be powerful enough to do so, disputes over leaders and their abilities to lead have lead to many nasty skirmishes throughout the island's history. In simplistic terms, the bigfeet only allow the strongest of their race at any given moment to lead them, as they believe that only the strongest will live on, while the weak will fade away. This is probably a result of the harsh, jungle environment that the bigfeet had to settle when they first appeared on the island many years ago. Thanks to this mindset, the most powerful bigfoot is usually always the one in charge. They get the title of Chieftain by showing that they have the physical strength, the mental fortitude, the battle prowess, and the emotional control necessary for such a position. While it isn't always necessary to fill all these requisites, the ideal Chieftain is almost always the one who has all of these attributes. Also, because of the barbaric fashion in which a Chieftain is promoted, they are always expected to have the strength to defend their title at all times as well. As a result, it isn't uncommon to see many young bigfeet from all over the island challenge the Chieftain for the coveted role they seek. If the Chieftain manages to hold their own, or even win the contest, then they are allowed to keep their position until the next challenge is declared. However, if the challenger manages to overcome the current Chieftain through battle, then the previous Chieftain is booted out, and their successor is awarded with the job of ruling all of Ape Island, and with the responsibility of fighting for their authority. Aside from the island's hierarchy system, the bigfeet of Ape Island are split into two distinct classes. There are bigfeet who naturally have no tails, and those who surprisingly do have them. The inhabitants have a belief that when the bigfeet race was made, they were once wholly tail-less. However, throughout many generations and hundreds of years, a substantial portion of the race broke away and became more feral. These wild bigfeet chose to live closer to nature, and seemed to all but abandon the most crucial elements for a civilization to thrive under. As the legends proclaim, the descendants of these wild bigfeet grew tails, to signal their more barbaric personality and nature. Nonetheless, presently it has been shown that both tailed and tail-less bigfeet have been able to live in harmony, despite their difference in appearance. However, there seems to hold some truth to the story of why certain bigfeet have tails, as some of them are much more akin to acting like wild beasts when provoked, or simply when they desire to do so. Bigfeet with tails seem to be more beast-like in attitude, as they're more prone to succumbing to their emotional and physical urges, as well as being more impulsive than those without tails. For the tail-less bigfeet, they tend to be more reasonable and civilized, thus acting more like humans and other sentient beings. Bigfeet without tails seem to have more emotional control than their tailed counterparts, and do better at fighting their impulsive desires. They also seem to follow logic more so than their own emotional well-beings. However, like with any group, party, or denomination, there are notable outliers among both classes. Tailed bigfeet have shown remarkable wisdom and better self-control at times, and likewise, certain tail-less bigfeet can be less rational in thought, and are known to be swayed by their emotional states. Government The governing body of Ape Island is ruled by despotism, meaning that one single entity or individual is responsible for the government of the entire island and its people. The current leader of this despotism is the Chieftain, Skookum. Skookum seems to be a kind and reasonable bigfoot, as he was one of the minority of bigfeet who was willing to help out The Jolly Pirates after they had arrived to Ape Island and ran into Hanuman (who at the time, was an antagonist.) Even more so, Skookum was able to sympathize with the pirates to a degree. However, despite his old age and kind heart, Skookum was known for being wise, and was only willing to go so far for Chris and his crew mates, before he could fully trust them 100%. Skookum is said to be the descendant of the ancient Chieftain and Folk-Hero of the island, Sun Wukong. As a result, Skookum still has Wukong's heroic blood running in his veins, and retains some remnants of his ancestor's strength. And thanks to Skookum's wisdom, the island has been doing well in recent years under his guidance. There have been less reports of quarreling between villages, and the crops have seen an increase in abundance ever since Skookum took charge. Even more astonishing is how Skookum had been capable of detouring visitors away from Ape Island for years without resorting to conflict, hoping to avert a bloody catastrophe should his people feel threatened by outsiders. Aside from Skookum himself, the island is kept in order, thanks to laws prohibiting the various villages from fighting one another, as well as preventing unwanted visitors from entering the island's interior. Other than that, the wild jungles of Ape Island are left alone, as Chieftain upon Chieftain has declared the jungles as the property of the Bigfoot race, and as a result, no one village can own them. This has resulted in the island being a loosely coordinated community as a whole, leaving outsiders to feel the sensation that this is truly a "wild island." However, the bigfeet see their home as being no different from any other. Citizens *Hanuman: Pirate. Epithet, "Monkey Man Hanuman." *Hanuman's parents: Presumed deceased. Captured by slave traders. *Yeren's mother: Status unknown. *Sun Wukong: Former Chieftain and Folk-Hero. Epithet, "War Devil Wukong." Deceased. *Skookum: Current Chieftain and descendant of Sun Wukong. Trivia *Ape Island was named after a real life location where there have been countless eyewitness reports of Sasquatch encounters. This real life location is Vancouver Island, otherwise known as "Ape Island," in British Columbia, Canada. *Despite being half bigfoot, Yeren of The Collosal Pirates did not in fact originate from Ape Island. Yeren states that his home island was elsewhere, but that his mother came from Ape Island. External Links Pages relating to this island NOT found of this wiki. Site Navigation Category:Island Category:Location Category:Calm Belt Location Category:Wyvern 0m3g4 Category:One Dream